Bob Margolin: Playing to his own tune

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Bob Margolin: Playing to his own tune
July 25, 2010
by Jennifer Chancellor
Tulsa World


"Steady Rollin' " Bob Margolin's been playing the blues for more than half a century, and early in his career he was discovered by his idol, Muddy Waters. Waters was more than an influence — he was Margolin's mentor.

"Muddy put me on his right side on the bandstand so I could watch him play guitar," Margolin wrote in his online autobiography. For years, the young man toured the globe with Waters' band. He recorded with him, too. In fact, the 1975 album, "Muddy Waters Woodstock Album," his last with Chess Records, won a Grammy Award.

He's gone on to perform, tour or record with a roster of bluesmen, jazz musicians and rockers: Tex Rubinowitz, Charlie Feathers, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Etta James, Taj Mahal, George Thorogood, Johnny Winter, Luther Tucker, Jimmy Rogers, to name a few.

He'll headline a weekend fundraiser for Tulsa's own Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 577 on Friday. He's been here before — the first time in the '70s with (you guessed it) Waters. His last visit was seven years ago.

And he's excited to be back.
ulsa World: What do you remember most fondly about the first time you met Muddy Waters? How old were you?

Bob Margolin: Muddy was nice to me when he saw me in bands that opened for him when I was around 22-23 because he could see I was trying to play "Old School" blues.

TW: Several blues musicians have told me about how different a true bluesman's life is compared to other genres. To be great isn't to be famous, it's to be respected. Some of the best bluesmen live in near-obscurity, as far as "best sellers" are concerned, even though the impact of their music is far-reaching and quite possibly revolutionary, especially for the genre of rock 'n' roll. Do you agree with this credo? How does it/doesn't it apply to your own life?

It's ironic that rock music, which was influenced by blues music, became so popular that it eclipsed blues in popularity. In the '70s, Muddy Waters often opened shows for more commercially famous rock musicians who idolized him. It was nice that Muddy was exposed to a larger, younger audience that way. I just try to make the best music I can make, and that's worked for me.

What can fans expect at your sets here in Tulsa?

An entertaining blues and rock 'n' roll show based on jamming in the moment.

I read you'll be playing two sets. Will they differ?

Of course, we won't be repeating shows or songs.

Will you have a backing band?

I'll have a bass player and drummer from Arkansas. They are very experienced players and can follow me musically wherever I go.

Will you have guests performing with you?

It may be arranged for local musicians to sit in.

In the late '80s, you "dumped" the corporate side of the music business to make your own music on your own terms, making cassette tapes for friends and playing in bars, correct? What was the most important lesson you learned from those "lean" years?

I simply took the natural step of becoming a blues bandleader instead of a sideman in 1980. I played mostly in bars for soulful music lovers. I didn't make CD albums yet; if I had an urge to make a recording, I just recorded a show and made tapes for my friends. The years were not lean; I was working all the time and life was relatively carefree compared to today's pressurized world. … I had a good time in the '80s and didn't make any compromises.